This application is based on Patent Application No. 202810/1997 filed on Jul. 29, 1997 in Japan, the content of which is incorporated hereinto by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a controlling method thereof, and data recording medium having a print controlling program.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, when several sets of data, each comprising a plurality of pages, are to be outputted as print data to a printing apparatus (hereinafter referred to just as a printer) by use of a data processing system (hereinafter referred to just as a host), they have been printed out as shown in FIG. 12.
For example, when three sets of documents, each composed of three pages, are to be outputted, first of all, three first pages are printed out, thereafter three second pages are outputted, and finally three third pages follow thereto. However, this type of printing method is quite inefficient, as it requires human hands later on for putting the thus printed documents in order, so that all the outputted page sheets are distributed to effectively form three sets of pages, each comprising a first, second and third pages. In order to avoid this troublesome job, the printing method has been improved to construct a mechanism in which data are repetitively transmitted from a host computer to a printer, and the thus transmitted data are maintained in the printer and repetitively utilized so that they are outputted per data units as shown in FIG. 13.
In recent years, data processing and documentation at a host computer have become very common, and thus a large number of page sheets are to be printed out. In order to efficiently process such a large number of pages, paper sheet providing section and paper-discharging outlet in a printer have also been made to a plural number. However, for effectively performing the printing process per data units each having several pages by such a printer, it is not sufficient to adopt conventional printing technique, and a new problem will arise therefrom.
For example, assuming that 15 sets (or 15 units) of 11-page data are to be printed by a printer having three paper-discharging outlets, the maximum permissible load of each outlet is 50 sheets. Normally, users need 165 sheets of paper for outputting 15 sets of 11-page data, and in this case they take into consideration the time required for outputting all the data from their experience. However, in the above case, they are likely to start printing without considering as to whether or not any of the paper-discharging outlets will be loaded to capacity, or how the printer acts when they are fully loaded, and so on.
In the current normal condition, 44 sheets made by totaling the first to fourth sets, each consisting of 11 pages, and 6 sheets consisting of first 6 pages of the fifth set, thus 50 sheets altogether, are printed out on to the first paper-discharging outlet. Thereafter, the printer changes the paper-discharging outlet from the first to the second one and starts outputting from the 7th page of the fifth set to a second discharging section. In the similar manner, when the second paper-discharging outlet is loaded to capacity, the printer moves on to the third paper-discharging outlet to output the rest. However, when the third paper-discharging outlet becomes fully loaded, the printer stops its outputting operation.
As described above, when all the paper-discharging outlets are brought to a fully loaded state, users have to take away the outputted sheets of paper accumulated thereon. However, in a case in which only one printer is used by a plurality of users, if this paper sheet removing operation is not performed in time, other data which has been spooled and planned to be outputted by another user is also stopped. Specially, in a case in which one printer is commonly used in a network or the like, the users, who carry out the printing operation often from a physically remote place from the printer, are often late for discovering the state that the printing operation has been stopped, and thus they cannot efficiently cope with the situation. For this reason, this printing-operation stopped state affects a lot, and is thus likely to deteriorate the operability as a whole.
Further, as the printer changes the currently using paper-discharging outlet to another in the moment that the current outlet becomes loaded to full capacity, pages composing one data unit are distributed to a plurality of paper-discharging outlets. In the above example, although the 1st page to the 6th page of the fifth set are discharged to the first paper-discharging outlet, the 7th page to the 11th are discharged to the second paper-discharging outlet. For this reason, if the user makes a mistake in the piling order for adjusting the discharged sheets accumulated in the paper-discharging outlet, the page numbers are disordered, and thus the purpose to properly distribute the sheets of paper per data units cannot be attained. In addition, the user has to check the piling order after the discharging of the sheets of paper, which is an additional burdensome work for the user.
The present invention has been achieved to solve the above-described problem and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus and a control method thereof, together with a recording medium containing a program for controlling a printing operation.
In order to solve the problems aforementioned, the printing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is constructed such that it comprises: a plurality of paper discharging means; a detecting means for detecting the load on each of the paper discharging means; a first judging means that judges whether or not the load of a currently using paper discharging means will exceed a predetermined maximum permissible load, if another set of paper sheets following the currently being printed set is discharged to the paper discharging means, during the printing operation of a plurality of sets of paper to be outputted; a control means that, when the first judging means judges that the load on the currently using paper discharging means will exceed the maximum permissible load, discharges the next set to another loadable paper discharging means, and stops the currently performing printing operation when there is no other loadable paper discharging means.
The detecting means of the printing apparatus as constructed above further comprises: a counting means for counting the number of printed sets of data currently being processed, and a page information obtaining means for obtaining number of pages to be printed out.
A print controlling method according to the second aspect of the present invention is constructed such that it comprises the steps of: judging whether or not the load of a currently using paper discharging means will exceed a predetermined maximum permissible load, if another set of paper sheets following the currently being printed set is discharged to the paper discharging means, during the printing operation of a plurality of sets of paper to be outputted; discharging the next set to another loadable paper discharging means when it is judged that the load on the currently using paper discharging means will exceed the maximum permissible load; and stopping the currently performing printing operation when there is no other loadable paper discharging means.
In the print controlling method as constructed above, the detection is carried out based on the information obtained from a means for counting the number of printed sets of data currently being processed, and from a counting means for obtaining number of pages to be printed out.
A recording medium according to the third aspect of the present invention, which is for storing a control program for executing a print control program by a computer or the like is constructed such that the control program makes the computer: judging whether or not the load of a currently using paper discharging means will exceed the maximum permissible load, if another set of paper sheets following the currently being printed set is discharged to the paper discharging means, during the printing operation of a plurality of sets of paper to be outputted; discharging the next set to another loadable paper discharging means when it is judged that the load on the currently using paper discharging means will exceed the maximum permissible load; and stopping the currently performing printing operation when there is no other loadable paper discharging means.
A method of controlling a printing apparatus having a plurality of paper discharging means for loading printed sheets according to further aspect of the present invention comprising the steps of: executing printing operation; recognizing the current load of printed sheets on a paper discharging means to which sheets to be printed of the next group are to be discharged, and the amount of the sheets to be printed of the next group; judging whether or not the total amount of sheets will exceed a predetermined permissible load of sheets if the sheets to be printed of the next group are loaded on the current paper discharging means, on the basis of the current amount of printed sheets loaded on the paper discharging means and that of the sheets to be printed of the next group, both recognized in said step for recognizing; and controlling such that the sheets to be printed of the next group are discharged to the current paper discharging means if it is judged in said judging step that the total mount of sheets will not exceed the predetermined permissible load, and that the sheets to be printed of the next group are not discharged if it is judged that the total amount of sheets will exceed the predetermined permissible load.
A recording medium for storing a control program for executing a print control program by a computer according to still further aspect of the present invention contains a control program that makes the computer: executing printing operation; recognizing the current load of printed sheets on a paper discharging means to which sheets to be printed of the next group are to be discharged, and the amount of the sheets to be printed of the next group; judging whether or not the total amount of sheets will exceed a predetermined permissible load of sheets if the sheets to be printed of the next group are loaded on the current paper discharging means, on the basis of the current amount of printed sheets loaded on the paper discharging means and that of the sheets to be printed of the next group, both recognized in the step for recognizing; and controlling such that the sheets to be printed of the next group are discharged to the current paper discharging means if it is judged in the judging step that the total mount of sheets will not exceed the predetermined permissible load, and that the sheets to be printed of the next group are not discharged if it is judged that the total amount of sheets will exceed the predetermined permissible load.
By use of the present invention, a plurality of printed sheets of paper can be loaded per units on each of the paper-discharging outlets of a printer, and when all the paper discharging outlets get fully loaded during the printing operation, the printing operation is automatically interrupted, so that the sheets of paper within one data unit are not separately distributed to different paper-discharging outlets. Further, in the moment that all the paper-discharging outlets are fully loaded during the printing operation, and the printing operation is automatically interrupted, it is instantly informed to the user. For this reason, the user can immediately cope with the full-up state of the paper-discharging outlet, and thus can effectively print per data units, eliminating simultaneously a deterioration of workability of other users. Still further, as no pages constructing one unit are separately distributed to a plurality of paper discharging outlets, a confirmation of page numbers during the page adjusting operation of the discharged sheets of paper can be omitted, thereby the page arrangement after printing is largely facilitated.
The above and other objects, effects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.